Shoot anything that moves…

[Via Dolorosa]

She bowed her head at Master Truden as she passed her by. They had finally arrived on Dxun and her test would now begin. She jogged to her shared quarters, grabbed her goodies, and headed for the staging area. She was as prepared as she was ever going to be. She was slightly anxious to be doing her part as a Jedi. People were missing, possibly injured, and if they needed medical assistance she would try her best to ease their pain. She was no Jedi healer and to date she had no knowledge of healing someone, including herself, through the Force. She was still learning the basics of Force Barrier. So CJ made a quick detour to grab some medpacks from the medical canisters and placed them in her satchel. Now she could help.

She saw that her Master was already there waiting for everyone. CJ acknowledged the Grandmaster with a polite bow of her head.

"Master," CJ began, "I can feel the Darkside radiating off this planet. Do you think we may encounter the Sith?"

CJ had no fear of facing the Sith. She had done so a few times and survived those encounters. What she did have concerns about was how they would approach her. She knew all to well how manipulative they were, having tricked her to join their ranks once. They played on her Vahla heritage, drawing her in. But she had wised up to their nature and turned from them. But the Sith never forget betrayal. If they were here and she was forced to face them, then by the Force she would do so.

[member="Damian Starchaser"] / [member="Corvus Raaf"] / [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus knew what to expect. As the ramp lowered, she braced herself for a clearing where no vegetation grows. All because of the Dark-side. The data suggested it was too corrupt for the flora to gain a foothold in.

As they stood here, there was a sense of the Dark-side permeating the ship. She listened to CJ. “This place draws them for sure. To prove themselves, to seek long-lost treasures which…believe me are long-lost. Oddly,” she turned now to face her Padawan. “It is the creatures that worry me, not the Sith.”

As the ramp allowed the light in, they would all feel a wave of the power of the Dark-side.

Aware they’d all sense it, Corvus spoke. “Any creatures we encounter? They draw on that.”

As they looked out, all they could see was dirt and mud; no living organism could nourish in the shadow of Nadd's crypt. Even the plants and trees bordering the clearing were stunted and deformed, corrupted by the Dark-side power that clung to the remains of the great Sith Master in death. And ahead of them – directly behind the ship as Kana had landed it, was the tomb itself. It was a disconcerting shape; the walls of the pyramid were set at odd and jarring angles, as if the stone of the crypt had been warped and twisted over the centuries.

And they could see a single entrance to the structure, a door that had once been sealed but looked as if it had been smashed open many centuries earlier by someone seeking the secrets of Nadd’s final resting place.

“For another day perhaps,” Corvus smiled and nodded towards the tree-line instead. “Are we all ready?”

[member="Ciara Jevnaker"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Kana Truden]

The bad feeling grew like a knot in her stomach. Yeah, she felt it. That familiar cold and the heavy weight on your mind. She looked to the others. “As ready as can be.”

With a few careful steps she ventured forth. There were no lifesigns, at least no pleasant ones. There were no birds singing songs of calm and the plants, the plants were all dead. Here and there the muddy ground told of blood splatter from beasts long come and gone. At least that was hopefully what had happened. The truth was probably a lot more worrying.

“So what does the map say?” She turned to Corvus. “Are we far off?”

She gave her leg a look of worry. If this was anything like last time she and Damian had gone crawling through a swamp-slash-jungle she could only hope the wetsuit underneath her jumpsuit would prove as equally useful. Still, the hugging sensation of it’s fabric against her skin caused her no comfort.

“If you step into the waters look out for swamp monsters.”

[member="Corvus Raaf"] / [member="Ciara Jevnaker"] / [member="Damian Starchaser"]​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

There was no more preparations she could make. Physically she was ready. Mentally she was ready. And gear wise, well she hoped she had considered everything. She followed the two Jedi Masters as they moved toward the tree-line and into the unknown. She was pretty sure nobody in the party knew what to expect to find out there. Maybe the two Masters did and the other Padawan, perhaps. But she was clueless.

Swamp monsters! CJ had never considered the thought of stumbling upon them. She had faced some terrible things in the Netherworld and escaped unharmed. But swamp monsters was all together different. She shuddered at the idea of being dragged down under the water and consumed without even having a chance to fight. Sneaky little buggers they were. She would head the words of the other Jedi Master and avoid stepping into the water, only doing so if it was required of her.

CJ, taking up a guard on the leftside of her own Master, looked around the area as the two Senior Jedi conversed with one another over the map. If they were lost or simply landed in the wrong area didn't bother CJ, it was only a minor setback.

[member="Kana Truden"] l [member="Corvus Raaf"] l [member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus checked the coordinates. “This is the closest safe landing spot. It’s all jungle and swamps between here and the crash site. At least we have an exact location. It’s precisely one and a half kilometres due north-east.” She lifted her arm to point in the direction they needed to travel.

She looked to Kana. “Maalraas, Zakkegs, Cannocks and Bomas too. And don’t put your head above the canopy. Drexl may be about and of course there’s the Crasna, so don’t assume any vines are simply that.”

She looked to CJ. “Fret not; we’re precisely where we want to be.” That was the thing about the Master-Padawan relationship. It generated a bond between them that heightened the usual Jedi senses when it came to each other. She smiled. “Assuming we wanted to be on a Dark-sided moon surrounded by carnivorous creatures with a three kilometre round trip in swampland to negotiate.” She laughed softly. “At least that’s what it said in the travel brochure. Surely there must be a swimming pool near here? A little café that sells camomile tea?”

She put the datapad away. “Best to have two hands free I think.” In her mind she was thinking of her sister’s counsel. ‘Stay away from any Dark-sided nexus in case that fragment of the Gatekeeper’s holocron lodged in your brain should feed on it.’ Yeah, she’d forgotten that advice until now. And now it was way too late…

[member="Ciara Jevnaker"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Damian Starchaser"]